On the R.C. Buford rumor
Plenty of discussion to come regarding James Anderson and Ryan Richards, but we would be remiss not to address reports that R.C. Buford is a target in Paul Allen’s search to replace Kevin Pritchard.
We should start with what this isn’t.
If Buford is a target, or, as a friend pointed out, even if he’s been contacted by Allen’s headhunter, this is an entirely different thing than having interviewed for the position. The current reports deal in potentiality, not actuality. R.C. Buford’s only statement regarding the Blazers search for a new GM sends a clear signal that his interest in the Blazers job, if there is any, is trumped by his desire to extend professional courtesy to Kevin Pritchard.
“Kevin still has a job, and I don’t think people should interfere,†Buford said Wednesday.
Reading between the lines, it’s doubtful that Buford has had a formal interview with Portland.
Nevertheless, it’s not a great secret that R.C. Buford is one of the best GMs in the NBA. He’s a major force behind the best run team in sports. It’s hard to imagine a better candidate for the Blazers GM position than R.C. Buford. Interestingly, former Spurs front-office personnel Sam Presti and Danny Ferry are rumored to be in the mix, as well.
If I’m R.C. Buford, I’m very curious to hear Paul Allen’s offer. The Blazers will spend to win, and have one of the best young rosters in the NBA. San Antonio is one kind of basketball paradise, and Portland another. If the Blazers make a formal pitch to Buford, it’s like selling a citizen of Nassau on the beauty of Barbados. If a beach is a beach, Paul Allen’s strategy might simply mean offering  Buford a bigger house.
From a Spurs fan perspective, these rumors introduce a surprising layer of anxiety to the offseason. Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey is a lead candidate for the Suns’ vacant GM position. And although Gregg Popovich is the President of Basketball Operations, he’s long since left the grind of front office work in the capable hands of Buford.
In an unexpected offseason twist, the Spurs’ lauded front office could turnover this summer. Â It’s premature to speculate whether the Spurs would lean more heavily on Popovich, turn to a current assistant such as Dell Demps (Mike Budenholzer?) or look to hire from without. Â Probably something else entirely. But the revolving door will have gone full-circle if Danny Ferry, Steve Kerr or Kevin Pritchard were suddenly in the conversation to replace Buford and/or Lindsey.
We’ll have entered a new era of Spurs basketball-one not ushered into existence by the retirement of Tim Duncan-if Buford takes another job. He’s at the center of all that the San Antonio Spurs do well.
